3 Months
by sweettaro
Summary: Marinette had three ideal goals in life. Become a fashion designer, travel the world, and marry her long time crush Adrien Agreste. Well, somehow, all three of those wishes were granted in one day, and not by some genie, but his cold father Gabriel Agreste. There's no way she's this lucky…right?
1. Chapter 1

**So I had this idea sometime over the summer but I stopped myself from even attempting to write it and post it because I thought I had to finish some other stuff. And right now I'm on a roll for just doing what I want to do so I'm not gonna hold back on stuff I want to post for you guys to read. So I hope you guys forgive me in the future when I have a break from this.**

 **Full Summary: Marinette had three ideal goals in life. Become a fashion designer, travel the world, and marry her long time crush Adrien Agreste. Well, somehow, all three of those wishes were granted in one day, and not by some genie, but his cold father Gabriel Agreste. There's no way she's this lucky…right?**

Marinette smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she lightly adjusted her makeup and nodded in approval at her appearance. Every day had become a usual routine for her once she landed a gig under the Agreste label. Being hired under the brand of her role model Gabriel Agreste made the years of university seem worthwhile, especially at the prospect of working with her longtime crush Adrien.

She couldn't help the heavy sigh that came from her lips. Adrien Agreste, her old classmate that she was never able to breathe a word to. He was a modern day Adonis with his perfectly tan skin, golden hair, and deep green eyes. Sure he was as handsome as guys came, but that wasn't what got her. It was his gentleness and kindness that drew her to him. It was when they were in high school that she always fantasized to marry him, but at this point she would settle to just hold a sentence with him without requiring help of a friend.

She let out a small sigh before walking out of her restroom and over to where she placed her jacket and purse. She was wearing a light pink dress of her own design and paired it with a black three-quarter sleeve jacket. Slipping in, she exited her apartment quietly as to not wake her roommate seeing as she was a really early riser.

While she wasn't required to be at work until nine, Marinette was up by seven and ready by seven thirty. Other people preferred the extra hours of sleep, but she was working hard to achieve her dream. The extra hour in the morning to work strictly on her own designs was worth it in the end if she could one day be recognized by her boss. It was a pretty successful life to have at twenty three, and she honestly wouldn't change much, but she still wasn't living her ideal life. She was a long ways from showcasing her own designs around the world and still single.

She walked the usual way towards the Agreste office building and paused outside of her favorite coffee stand. Making her usual order when her eyes wandered over to the rack of magazines placed by the cart.

 _AGRESTE HEIR STILL SINGLE!_

 _ **NEW NUMBER ONE BACHELOR OF PARIS**_

AGRESTE HEIR DUMPS PARIS'S SWEETHEART

' **I WASN'T HIS DREAM!' BOURGEOIS GIVES THE INTEL OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH AGRESTE, AND HIS HARSH BREAKUP!**

Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes at how the latest gossip rags were still hung up over the big break up of Adrien Agreste and Chloe Bourgeois. Even though she was thrilled to hear her long time crush was single once again, the news was getting rather old to have plastered everywhere across Paris. The two iconic names of Paris were everywhere after a nasty break up when the relationship barely lasted a few months. Although after spending time in school with Chloe, Marinette knew the young woman was eating up the attention in being treated as the victim.

"I know, it's getting really old." A voice sighed heavily behind her. Marinette's skin crawled as she looked over her shoulder to meet a pair of dark shades over a tan face. Although she couldn't see his eyes, from his perfect complexion and his perfectly styled hair, she knew who it was.

"Oh! Adrien, hi!" She stammered quickly, her tongue twisting as he slowly pulled off his shades for her blue eyes to meet his friendly green. She could have sworn that she was blinded a moment at the action but then he smiled and she died a little on the inside from the beating of her heart.

"Good morning Marinette. Don't tell me that you've read those." He nodded to the magazines and the young designer immediately shook her head.

"No! I actually really hate them! I mean the things that journalists will say are really aggravating! They hunt down people who have just made it far in life and try to find their bad side! No sign of human compassion at all! I don't believe a word!" She blurted out way too fast that she covered her mouth. He blinked at her and then slightly tilted his head.

 _So cute!_ She noted.

"Isn't Alya a journalist now?" Her cheeks flamed as she lowered her hand.

"Yes…" She squeaked. He laughed, so light heartedly that she would have embarrassed herself all over again to see him that happy all the time. While he still modeled the face of the company, he also managed the business aspect and looked completely miserable most of the time.

"Marinette, you really are too adorable." He smiled. Her blue eyes widened and her body stiffened.

 _Oh my god…_ Her brain tried to process it, but the circuits were breaking. _Did he just…_

"Here's your coffee." The clerk said and placed the cup down for her, but Marinette couldn't move.

 _He…he called me…_ Adrien only smiled and took the coffee for her.

"Marinette, your coffee." He smiled to her. She blinked and took the cup from him, although was amazed when he moved his hand over her grip. She looked up with wide eyes to him, and he still had that charming grin on, his eyes clearly thinking, although she wondered what.

"Hey Marinette…I was wondering…" Her breath caught on his last word the same moment a ringtone sounded from his pocket. He hissed and pulled out his cellphone and accepted the incoming call.

"Yes? It was moved up? I see, alright, I'll be right there." He sighed but looked to her with an apologetic smile. "I have to go Marinette, but I'll see you later."

He walked off and Marinette groaned.

 _Of course, of course we have a moment together and it gets ruined. Why does it seem like nothing ever goes right with me?!_ She thought grumpily, walking on inside the building. She pressed the call light for the elevator a little roughly as she sipped her coffee and waited.

 _He called me adorable._ A smile spread across her face as a giddy feeling over took her. _He called me adorable! And it sounded like he was about to ask me out! But who am I kidding. He was probably going to ask for a favor or something. And friends call each other cute all the time. It'll take a miracle for me to ever get with Adrien._ The doors opened for her floor only to reveal the cold glare of a very stoic face. Nathalie, Mr. Agreste's very intimidating assistant was waiting outside the elevator for her.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" The blackette gulped heavily and nodded. The woman entered the elevator and without another word pressed for the top floor.

"Mr. Agreste would like to have a word with you."

Marinette froze, her body tense at the different possibilities concerning why her boss would want to see her. Was she being fired? Did she mess up? Did Mr. Agreste learn of how creepy she was concerning his son when they were in high school and file a restraining order?!

"Do you know what about?" Was all she could squeak out.

"It is a private matter and it requires immediate attention." Nathalie replied coldly as the doors opened for the two. She stepped out first, with Marinette following in stride after.

"Please throw your coffee away." She coldly ordered as they passed a trash bin. Marinette tossed it in as if it was on fire, but kept in pace as they stopped outside a steel grey door. "Here you are."

That was all she said as she walked away, off to do the things that Mr. Agreste wouldn't leave his office for. Marinette turned back to the door and released a shaky breath before knocking lightly. She waited a few moments before a cold voice was heard on the other side.

"You may come in." She took another breath and opened the door, peaking her head in to see her role model starring out the window.

"You asked for me sir?" Marinette asked, closing the door behind her. Inside she was jittery and nervous, but she tried to hold away all of her awkwardness. _This is Gabriel Agreste…your idol, your role model, the father to perfection itself. DO NOT SCREW UP!_

The elder man turned around from looking out the window to glance over at the young designer. His grey eyes moving over her up and down, slowly analyzing.

"Yes, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, please have a seat." He motioned to the chair in front of his desk which Marinette slowly approached.

"Have I done something wrong sir?"

He slowly walked to his own seat and folded his hands across the desk. The moments of silence were heavy in anticipation, and then the cold designer spoke.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, do you read the papers?"

The young blackette blinked before her mouth dropped open.

"Uhh…yes, I tend to keep up."

"Do you know why it's important?"

"I believe in my line of work it's important to be aware of events and to be quick on mind to applying it to fashion."

"A good answer." He approved, releasing a little bit of the edge that she felt. "And are you aware of what the press is saying about my son now?"

"I'm sorry?" Marinette blinked, truly not expecting that question.

"Right now, there has been some recently bad press about my son and his 'break up' with Ms. Bourgeois."

"Yes, I remember hearing that." Marinette replied, unsure of what else to say.

"Do you know how important it is to fix the bad press?"

"Yes sir, bad press on your family means bad publicity for designs."

"I'm glad you understand that. It would be insightful to keep that in mind on your career track."

Marinette froze in her chair, his comment freezing her. _Does that mean…_

"But with this bad press, you should know then how important it is for us to fix this."

"Sir, are you sure a publicist wouldn't be better suited for this conversation?"

"Quite certain. You Ms. Dupain-Cheng are perfect for what could rectify this situation."

"And what could I do to help you Sir?"

"I want you to marry my son."

 **Well I feel both satisfied and dissatisfied with this chapter, but I'm really excited to get this story under way. So please let me know what you guys would think about this it gets me going! I love you all!**


	2. Chapter 2

***Breathes Heavily* Oh my god you know you have a serious problem when you get super hyped and squealy over your own chapter. But I'm proud that I got in the zone to writing this and did it all in one sitting. I loved this chapter so much and I'm so excited. Also just to answer some common questions and comments.**

 **So no there are no Miraculous which means I get to throw in jokes and references to the show as much as I want. Speaking of which, I got my normal friends to watch it and they immediately got hooked.**

 **Next there is a reason to all this so let's see how long it takes for you guys to catch on. Also there are a lot of elevators in this chapter.**

The only sound in the large office was the clock ticking on the far wall. Marinette's eyes were wide and unmoving, frozen on the man in front of her that was waiting patiently for a reaction. Her mind was moving too fast, only a few words were able to flash through and process what she was asked.

 _Me…..Marriage…..Adrien….publicity….marriage…..Adrien…..what?!...Marry…..godchild….Agreste…..Mrs. Agreste…..Mrs. Perfect Godchild….wife….cinnamon roll…..BOSS!_

She was snapped out and just shook her head to stop the constant nagging.

"Sir…."He perked up, ready to hear her response. "Do you mind saying that again?"

"I want you to marry Adrien." There was another pause.

"I'm sorry I know I'm hearing things."

"I want you to marry my son and heir Adrien Agreste." He gritted out.

"Okay, it's still not coming through to me…."

"I want you to marry my son Ms. Dupain-Cheng!" He shouted, pressing under his glasses. "Goodness."

"Okay, wait, you're serious?!" He shot her a cold look that froze her in her chair. "Alright Sir, I'm sorry but, your son? You want me to marry your son?"

"Correct."

"As in matrimony?"

"Yes."

"Man and wife?"

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

"Sorry Sir, but in all due respect, what about your son?" He lifted an eyebrow at this and laced his fingers together.

"Explain yourself." He ordered watching her carefully. Marinette stiffened and ran a hand over the back of her head nervously.

"Well…um….I mean, he's your son. It's his choice who he marries isn't it? I don't think he would be happy to hear that he has to marry me just because you told him so sir."

The man watched her a few moments longer before humming to himself and turning up from his chair.

"That is an interesting view point Marinette, but this is my choice for the good of the company. And rest assured, I in no means am forcing Adrien to accept a wife for the rest of his life. I would just like for you to be Adrien's wife for a few months at the very least."

"A few months?"

"Yes. Three to be exact. We need to give the public a view of a happy couple with our cover model and future owner and who better than with an aspiring designer. People will be interested to hear how this love story started out, and soon that huge breakup will be forgotten and not an impact to us."

"But sir, what about after the three months? Marrying Adrien and then divorcing after a few months will bring back even worse publicity."

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I thought you made it clear that this wasn't exactly your strong suit in discussing what the press could say." He snapped, making her flinch. He raised a hand as if in apology. "Please, leave that to me and some our expert public reps. we have the best, and they can slide anything away for anything that may come in the future. Now I'm sure you are wondering what you are going to get out of this."

"Not really, I'm just wondering why me?" The girl muttered.

"Trust me Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you are someone who is highly praised on a regular basis, no one could be better for this." He seemed to smile fondly. Marinette gave him a confused look wondering what he meant when he pulled out a document and slid it across the desk. "But you will receive compensation for your time with my son."

"Sir, I don't want your money to be your son's wife."

"You won't, you get my support." She raised a brow before taking the paper. "You're going to be able to open your own line that is in partnership to _Gabriel_ , we have the paperwork all ready to go and after helping finish this next line, which as you know will come out in about three and a half months, you will be free to be on your own. Handling your own label that is connected to us will surely rise up in the fashion industry. I'm not giving you money, I'm giving you your dream."

"Sir." She gritted and looked up to him with an angry fury in her eye, sliding the paper back onto his desk. "Believe me when I do try saying this in the most respectful way possible, but I don't want to be _given_ my dream. I want to enjoy the every step of the journey for me to get there. Sure I'm not much now, but I enjoy it and when I'm able to start my own label I want it to be through my own hard work and efforts. Not just because I married your son. So thank you for this opportunity, but I don't think you know me well enough to think this is what I want." She turned to leave when she heard him start chuckling. Turning around, a chill ran up her spine. Gabriel Agreste never laughed.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I hope you never cease to amaze me. You remind me so much of my late wife." He seemed to smile at her with an appreciation although it quickly seemed to melt into a more serious expression. "But you also must trust my word in saying this isn't just going to be given to you for this act. This operation has been underway for nearly a year now, the only trouble was to find a designer that was willing to work hard enough and was talented. You have been under consideration for some time, a month ago your name and copies of your work were selected by my partners. Trust me when I say that this is an opportunity you don't want to turn down. I know better than most how hard it is to climb out of nowhere to get to here, and although your speech is admirable, take an opportunity when given."

"So would you still give me this opportunity if I still turned down your offer?" She asked.

"That depends on what my partners think, however it would be rather embarrassing if your designs for the new line did not meet my approval. You would probably still be hired on a new starting company, where if you did take it you would probably receive less than you are now, and have a very, very difficult time crawling up. Or you could stay here and probably need to work even more to receive my respect again, after all you are turning down my greatest creation."

"So I'm being blackmailed into this."

"Think of it as a challenge. A choice between living how you want to live, or see what it's like pushing yourself over the extremes to achieve your dreams. And you've already been assigned as head designer for the new line, so it would seem only natural after this success you'd be given to take care of a separate label."

"And what about your son? How are you going to get him to cooperate?"

"I have my methods."

"Are they the same as this one?" The greying designer leaned back in his seat.

"Perhaps."

Marinette bit her lip and walked over to lean over the desk.

"I'll do it, but I also require one other thing."

"And what is that?"

"No matter what, you give Adrien whatever it is you're going to blackmail or taunt him with. And after this you don't get to control his choices anymore, even if they go against your wishes. You may not know this, but in high school you made him miserable by choosing everything he had to do and not giving him freedom. Give me your word, and I'll do whatever you want me to do."

Marinette looked him strongly in the eye, even though a part of her mind was screaming at her about how wrong everything she just said was, she faced him bravely. Even if she wouldn't get to design, and she would end up just working her parents' bakery for the rest of her life, all she wanted was for her longtime crush to get what he truly wanted. His freedom.

The older designer chuckled before extending his hand to her.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, welcome to the family."

She hesitated a moment, before fitting her smaller hand in his as they shook. Mr. Agreste leaned over to press a button on his phone.

"Natalie, I want you to come take Ms. Dupain-Cheng to hair and makeup."

"Wait, what?!" Already the executive assistant waltzed in and took the young designer by the arm and led her back out.

"Hey….ummmm Ma'am…" Marinette chuckled nervously as the woman didn't even spare her a glance. "What did he mean about hair and make-up? I'm pretty sure I actually have to get back to work now, I had a ton of meetings."

"No need to worry about that schedule right now Ms. Dupain-Cheng. We have to get you ready for your photos."

"Photos?" The girl squeaked as they entered the elevator and went down several floors. Already waiting for her by the door was a team of elite stylists Marinette only caught glimpses of when working for Fashion Week. Within a few hours, with a small lunch break, they somehow transformed Marinette into someone off the cover of a magazine. With her light makeup that complimented her perfectly and her hair curled up into a bun atop her head, with a few stray pieces framing her face.

"You really are gorgeous Honey!" A makeup artist cooed as she added a few finishing touches to the light pink gloss on Marinette's lips. "Everyone is going to faint when they see you!"

"Oh…um…thank you?" Marinette shrugged, still a little unsure to what they were getting her ready for.

"Is she all set?" Natalie appeared out of nowhere with a clipboard in hand and an ear piece.

"Yes ma'am." The artist beamed with pride and removed the cloth from around Marinette. "Knock 'em dead hon."

Marinette waved back in a friendly manner before Natalie just grabbed her hand and again they went down in the elevator.

"What size shoe?" She asked, not looking up from her tablet.

"Oh…um…37.5?" The assistant hummed and once the elevator landed on the main floor the two walked out and headed towards a car waiting right outside for them. Natalie held the door open for her and motioned inside. "Please get in."

Marinette warily got in and slid across the seat to make room for Natalie as the car drove away from the company building.

"Ma'am, I'm a little confused, what is going on?" Natalie stopped her typing on the tablet to look up to the young women with a dead gaze.

"It's your wedding day Ms. Dupain-Cheng, we're heading to the ceremony."

"What?!" The young girl screeched, causing the assistant and driver to wince. "But…I…you said photos!"

"Yes, wedding photos, press photos, photos to put in your new apartment with Mr. Agreste."

"So it's not a photo shoot for a magazine? How did you guys arrange this ceremony so quickly? And what new apartment? I have a perfectly fine one thank you!"

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, we were under the impression you agreed to the terms."

"I never agreed to get married today!"

"Well regardless, you've agreed and today is the ceremony. As for your old apartment, your things have been collected and you will be moving into a new apartment with your husband after your honeymoon."

"Oh my god." Marinette curled up, covering her blushing red face and trying to control her breathing.

"Please don't ruin your makeup Ms. Dupain-Cheng, your family and friends won't be happy to see any running mascara."

"MY PARENTS!" They girl screamed and turned to the assistant. "What did you tell my parents?!"

"They were informed at how you were going to be marrying Adrien Agreste, the rest of the information you wish to tell them is yours to disclose. We only invited your closest relatives and a few close friends. The Agreste family is known to not make large public occasions."

"Oh god." Marinette breathed heavily as they stopped at a lovely hotel. Natalie got out and motioned for Marinette to do the same. The girl wobbled to her feet and followed the assistant in and directly to the elevator. They rode up to eighth floor and walked down the hall to a room Natalie opened with a swipe card. Marinette walked in and was tackled into a tight hold.

"Marinette! What is going on?!" She blinked and looked up to Alya who was wearing a lovely emerald green bridesmaid dress.

"Alya? Oh my gosh!" Marinette clutched her. "I'm so scared why did I get up and go to work this morning?!"

"Because you are the best dear." Her mother cooed from the corner and approached her, wearing a nice dress Marinette recognized as a new dress from _Gabriel_. "Now can you fill us in for why we were asked to come to your wedding tonight?"

"Oh god where do I start…" Marinette proceeded to tell them the whole truth about what Mr. Agreste offered her and begged them to keep it secret what with Alya's career, and went up to her last offer she made for Adrien's happiness.

"You really said all that? To Gabriel Agreste!" Alya gasped and smiled. "Girl you are the bravest person I know, even Nino was always nervous about him."

"Everyone is."

"And you really are only doing this for that boy's sake?" Her mother asked. Marinette nodded and took her mother's and best friend's hands.

"Yes. I know all he's wanted is to make his own choices, and even now, especially for this, he has to listen to what his father tells him to do. All I want from Gabriel Agreste isn't a job, but for him to give Adrien what he really wants. So at least even if Adrien hates me for the rest of my life, after three months he'll finally be happy."

Her mother and Alya exchanged a look before embracing the young woman.

"Marinette, you are the most selfless, hardworking, and amazing person I've ever met. Sometimes I wonder if Adrien Agreste is good enough for you, and don't you start that 'he's so perfect' speech, you deserve a hero." Alya smiled. Marinette felt tears in the corner of her eyes and laughed.

"Oh no! Natalie told me not to ruin my makeup!" She chuckled.

"You look beautiful no matter what." Her mother smiled, and patted her on the back. "And you better make sure to bring that boy over for dinner so we can meet him officially. And if he gives you grief you better let me know." Her mother winked.

"Of course Maman." Marinette smiled and hugged her mom.

"Yeah, yeah, but Adrien's going to pass out when he sees you in your wedding dress." Alya smirked and jumped up to retrieve the dress bag hanging in a closet. "Now let's get you ready."

Marinette nodded and gasped as Alya unzipped the bag to see a strapless sweetheart lined mermaid dress.

"That….umm….assistant, left you a bag in the bathroom." Her mother said. Marinette nodded and entered the bathroom to see a pastel pink bag that was without a doubt lingerie. Marinette tried not to blush when she put on the lacy undergarments and grabbed one of the robes hanging on the back of the door.

"Come one Marinette, we have to get you in this." Alya called out and opened the door. She smirked at her blushing friend before pulling her out to wear her mother stood with the dress unzipped and ready for the young bride.

"C…can you guys turn around while I put it on?"

"Oh did they give you something scandalous to wear for your wedding night?" Alya grinned. Marinette turned deeper at the two's laughter, although they complied with her wishes and faced away while she put on her dress. With the help of her mother zipping up the back, Marinette could only stare at herself in the full length mirror. She couldn't believe she was wearing something so beautiful. She brushed a hand over the silky bodice that hugged her waist and hips perfectly and emphasized her curves, and traced her eyes down to the layers of silk that created the beautiful skirt. Even the tiara nestled on her head with a veil that trailed out behind her made her feel like royalty.

"You look so beautiful." Her mom croaked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah." Alya said speechlessly. "That guy doesn't know how lucky he is."

"Oh Alya its okay."

"No it's not Marinette! You're doing everything for him because you've always liked him and he has no clue! You have to promise me you'll at least tell him how you feel if you're going to be his wife for three months!"

"Alya,"

"Promise me!" The journalist demanded. Marinette sighed and nodded her head.

"Fine, I'm going to be rejected, but I'll tell him sometime."

"Good." Alya smirked and patted her on the shoulder. "And besides, what man rejects his wife?"

The two laughed as the door opened for Natalie who had changed into a crimson cocktail dress.

"It's time ladies." She said. Marinette's mother gave her a hug and a kiss for good luck as she went on out. Natalie handed Alya a bouquet of flowers before handing Marinette a large bouquet of red roses.

"We have the bride coming down." She spoke into her ear piece before giving Marinette a small push to start walking. Alya gripped her hand and helped the girl that was wobbling down the hall, be it from the heels or the jitters that racked through her body. They entered the elevator as they went down to the main hall and walked to a hall. Marinette trembled although was thankful for the squeeze that Alya gave her as they heard the music start on the other side of the door.

"Good luck." She whispered as she walked in. Natalie quickly pulled the veil over the young girl's face and stood off to the side out of view from the doors.

"Whenever you're ready." She said. Marinette took a deep breath before nodding to Natalie who gave the order to open the doors. Marinette was blinded from the twinkly lights that bordered the room and was unable to take in the full details that was already set up in the hall. All she could see past the few chairs of guests was at the end of the isle her sapphire blue eyes met a pair of equally shocked green ones. And even from across the room she heard him breath softly.

"Marinette?"

 **Oh my god I love writing this! I hope you guys enjoyed it and please review any comments or questions. I seriously love this story, so I hope it makes sense. Also would there be any sort of experiences these two should have? I mean I figured a honeymoon next chapter and later I want to have them have dinner with her parents. So tell me what you would like to see. I hope you enjoyed it all! So now I'm going to go study a bit more and read a little bit more on one of my current reads. Bye lovelies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hahahaha some of you guys might be catching on. And I have received a personal response from Gabriel Agreste. Which follows: DO NOT QUESTION MY MOTIVES REGARDING MY SON! Tehehe, well I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, because it comes to you from a place of procrastination. I should be back at school right now, but I'm here at home just because I don't want to go back out to school.**

Even though Marinette wasn't able to take in the full details of how the ceremony was decorated, she was able to take in one of the great details that not many people had the chance to ever witness. Adrien looked fucking handsome. That was the only detail that she thoroughly could take in. He looked different from this morning, and instead of his neatly side swept hair, it was liked back giving him a much more mature look. And although Adrien could make a shower curtain look good, Adrien in a tuxedo was a sight to behold. He looked like a charming aristocrat and he fit the role perfectly with his role in society.

It was all this thinking that took a split second for her to take in every detail of Adrien before starting to walk down the aisle. She watched his viridescent eyes flicker to Nino as he whispered something sharply and angrily. Nino shrugged and only shook his head in defense before whispering back to the groom. Marinette couldn't help the pounding in her heart and the flush of her cheeks in embarrassment.

 _He's disappointed it's me. I knew it. I'm so stupid for agreeing to this._

She stopped at the end of the isle for Adrien to take a step closer to her in order to lift the veil. An unknown emotion flickered in his eyes and she swore to see a tint of red light his cheeks.

"Marinette, what did my father promise you to make you do this?" He whispered, holding her hands tightly.

"What?" She whispered back.

"My father, he has to be doing something for you to be doing this."

.

.

"Listen Marinette, whatever my father has promised you I'll find a way to still give it to you. You don't have to go through with this."

"Sorry Adrien, but this is something only your father can promise." She whispered with a soft sigh.

"I don't want you giving up your life just to partake in this little scheme of his."

"This isn't some scheme Adrien, this is about your family name here."

"And I don't care about that, you're one of my oldest friends I don't want you to do something you don't want to and especially for something that is my own fault."

He turned away ready to go to his father who was sitting in the front row when Marinette caught his arm.

"And I want to help you. Please, Adrien, its okay."

"Is what he promising you really that great?" He whispered back rather harshly. She flinched and directed her gaze elsewhere.

"What he promised is my concern, and I…I don't mind doing this…" She murmured. She couldn't meet his gaze, but she could feel his stare on her.

"Are you sure?" She nodded her head. Even though he was clearly disappointed in learning the match his father made for him, she was going through with her deal. He took her hand and placed a small kiss on her knuckles, earning a small murmur from the few guests they invited.

"Well then, if you two are ready to begin." The priest chuckled, thinking the two had a small intimate moment, he began the ceremony. The man started to go over the usual speeches before coming to the 'I dos'.

"And do you Adrien Agreste take Marinette Dupain-Cheng as your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live? Until death do you part?" Marinette looked up to Adrien's gaze that refused to meet hers. His emerald eyes was tracing over her, with such an unknown emotion that looked both happy yet so sad. Licking his gorgeous lips he took her hands and looked to the minister with a small smile.

"I do." The man smiled back before looking to Marinette.

"And do you Marinette Dupain-Cheng take Adrien Agreste as your husband to have and to hold, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live? Until death do you part?"

She didn't even try to look up at him but just looked at their held hands, knowing he would never willingly hold them.

"I do." She murmured, her voice choking a little more.

"And now, by the power invested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

 _Oh crap! Kiss! Kiss?! Well yeah, I guess that happens. Oh god, what do we do?!_ Before she could be devising a plan for how she could just do something cute like kissing him on the cheek or something, she was alerted by hands cupping her cheeks. Her eyes only had the chance to glance up before she felt Adrien move closer and lean down for his lips to brush over hers. Marinette was frozen stiff as she was in heaven. For years she had dreamed of this moment and here it was with him kissing against her. Actually, he wasn't just giving her a quick peck, he was full on kissing!

Before Marinette even knew it she started kissing back, if this was only going to happen once in her life she was going to enjoy it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer, earning a cheer from the guests and just as his tongue slipped into her mouth and she was seeing stars, someone cleared their throat. Adrien pulled away almost immediately and looked to his father who obviously was the one receiving the weird looks from everyone else.

 _Of course, he doesn't want to kiss me longer than he has to._ She thought sadly before smiling to everyone else. Adrien placed a hand at her waist and pulled her closer alongside him as he pulled her along back down the aisle and through the back door. The only other thing she heard was Mr. Agreste directing the guests to where the reception would be held.

 _Mr. Agreste._ She looked up to Adrien. _Mr. Agreste, and now I'm his Mrs. Agreste. Oh god what did I get myself into?_

He stopped and pulled her into an empty room, and closed the door to look at her.

"Alright then, _wife_ , I think there shouldn't be any secrets between us."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not at all liking his tone.

"Then what pray tell _husband_ do you want to know?"

"The same thing I asked earlier, why is it you are doing this?"

"Well you've already guessed it, your father promised me something."

"And you can't tell me what."

"No."

"No you can't? Or you won't?"

"I won't it's something very personal to me. And if what I have to get it is to do what your father wants, then I'll do it."

"This isn't what I wanted." It cut through to her deeply although she turned away from him to not give any insight to how his words affected her.

"Then why is it you had to do this? You're your own person, you could have said no."

"Well, he had something he offered to me that I couldn't refuse."

There was a moment of silence before she spoke up again.

"Then I'm sorry you had to do something like this in order to get it." She nodded and then headed towards the door. She heard him moving to grab hold of her, but somehow in her heels and dress she evaded him quickly and found solace in the woman's restroom.

It was there that she felt tears in her eyes as she attempted to dab them away although they were quickly replaced by fresh trails. She never knew what to expect when it came to what he would say, but she never knew that it could hurt this much.

There was a knocking on the door and she froze as she heard it open.

"Marinette? Are you there?" Alya called in.

"Yes." She sniffled and immediately her best friend flew in to embrace her tightly.

"Oh girl, what's wrong? You looked absolutely horrified when you left the hall."

"I just…." She couldn't form words around it as she just helplessly leaned to Alya. "I can't believe I did this. I shouldn't have done it."

"What makes you think that? Less than an hour ago you were upstairs saying how you didn't care how this all turned out." Marinette scoffed.

"That was before he talked to me." She cried. "He really hates me. Whatever chance I had to ever possibly be with him is gone."

"That stuck up little brat! I don't know why he broke up with Chloe if it turns out he was really perfect for her." Marinette giggled at that as Alya rubbed her arms reassuringly.

"He doesn't matter anyways."

"But that's the thing Alya. It felt…so good kissing him. It was more than I could ever dream of." Alya looked at her with such sympathy before hugging her tightly.

"You are too sweet of a person to be mixed up in all of this. And you are too forgiving to that dumb blonde."

"Alya, he's super smart."

"He's obviously not if he can't see that you are the best bride that money can buy." She winked.

"Alya!" Marinette gaped although her friend erupted in a fit of giggles.

"I'm kidding. Well, about the money part." She placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders to get her attention. "But you really are the kindest person doing this, don't let a bonehead like Adrien make you think that you are a horrible person. You're not and you know it, I know it, and I'm going to go make sure Adrien Agreste realizes who he is lucky to be landed with."

"No Alya don't say anything about this please!"

Alya looked at her for a few moments and sighed heavily. "Fine I won't be telling Agreste anything about this. Come on, let's clean you up a little bit."

After dabbing a little warm water around her eyes to reduce the redness yet not smudge any makeup before stepping outside and to the bride's surprise her husband was standing against the wall with his best man. Whatever they were talking stopped when they stepped out, and already she felt Alya was glaring at the two of them. However, Adrien wasn't falling prey to the attack of her best friend and was instead looking at her. Feeling flushed, Marinette did her best to look away and did her best to pull on a smile.

"Sorry, were you waiting for me to go in? I guess I just needed a minute to take it all in." She walked over to him and took his hand. "Well we should probably go in."

"Alright." Was all he said back before he walked with her down the hall to where the reception was being held that night? It was as beautifully decorated as the ceremony was with glittering white lights and centerpieces expected of an Agreste wedding.

"And now announcing, for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Adrien Agreste!  
Someone announced from the corner. Marinette blushed deeply and looked up to Adrien who just smiled to the others. He pulled her along to a table at the head of the room where two empty seats sat between their parents.

While others chatted happily, Marinette couldn't find anything to say to Adrien. So instead she nibbled lightly on the plate in front of her until she noticed Alya and Nino enter the room. And the off looks they seemed to be exchanging each other set her off. As they sat down at their table Marinette was brought to attention when she felt a light touch on her arm. Looking up to the blonde on her right.

"Is something wrong?" He asked much calmer than his earlier demands.

"Nope." Marinette replied, taking a small bite of her chicken. _Except for how you think I only agreed to this just for personal gain._

"You sure? I didn't mean to upset you so earlier." He whispered. A lump formed in her throat that she swallowed down.

"You didn't there's nothing to be sorry for, and it makes perfect sense why you would be."

"That still doesn't give me a reason to have snapped at you. So I'm sorry." He offered her a small smile in which Marinette returned.

"I forgive you." He smiled back and leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"Well, how about a first dance with me?" He winked and Marinette felt very fortunate that she didn't swoon.

"Ri….right now?"

"Yup." His grin grew wider and he waved over to the DJ who just grinned back at him. Without even waiting for her, Adrien took hold of her hand and led her across their table to the dance floor. And with a hand on her waist, he swept her away. The music was soft and gentle, and the movements were something that it seemed Adrien had a fine practice in. He led her flawlessly, and looked into her eyes with an emotion Marinette could finally place in his beautiful eyes. Contentment. And so she smiled back, happy at least that he was somewhat okay with this development, and she knew that she would do her best to make him happy during their time together.

 **Well I know this is a bit shorter than the last chapter, but this was a little harder to get out. So hopefully I will have a Hades sort of story out soon, but finals are coming and, yeah that's a struggle in itself. Thanks so much and please leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I really wanted to update this story with just something cute, so it's not really long but that's okay! I'm just getting back into being productive right now, so I hope you enjoy it!**

"Well here we are." Adrien announced as they stopped in front of a door in the hotel. The reception ended a few minutes ago upon the departure of the couple. He took out the swipe card to run along the lock for the door to pop open revealing a large room of candles and rose petals. "The Honeymoon suite."

Marinette was blushing so hard she couldn't even spare him a sarcastic look to the evident smirk in his smile. They gingerly stepped in as the door closed behind them, leaving them fully alone.

"Did your Father, ummm…expect to..." She was interrupted from Adrien's laugh as he leaned over.

"Oh gosh no, I don't care if he wants it. There's no pressure about this okay?" He motioned to the romantic atmosphere. "I'm not going to do anything you aren't comfortable with Marinette." She nodded and took a seat on a lounge, closing her eyes for a moment to take in the events of the day. Married. She was married. Married to her longtime crush. Truly she had to still be in bed asleep and probably late for work. She opened her eyes to look up at him to see he already had his jacket and shirt off, revealing those rippling muscles she had only dreamed about.

 _Nope very much real._ Her mind stated as she turned away to hide her blush.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to put on a t-shirt, and if it makes you that uncomfortable I can do it in the bathroom."

"NO! Nonononono! You're fine! I'm fine! I don't care of you take your shirt off! You can sleep with it off! It's hot! I mean cool! I mean not that you aren't hot! You are! But you already knew that! Just…oh my god, just put your shirt on before I say something even stupider!" She cried and again was interrupted by his laughing.

"You really need to take a chill pill Marinette. I don't think I'm not going to be able to handle you when you act like this." He chuckled and picking up a black bag he went into the bathroom. Marinette was frozen.

 _He…he can't handle me like this?! Does that mean I annoy him! Well yeah, I guess I always kind of have, but I mean what he expects when he's a MODEL and takes his shirt off so casually in front of a girl. I mean I work for the company and have seen him shirtless and we are technically married but it doesn't make it less embarrassing!_ She heard the water from the sink turn off just as an idea popped in her head and with a sly smirk she went on and started taking her hair down.

The door opened from behind her just as her hair fell down her neck in beautiful curls. Doing her best acting, she looked at him with a purely innocent look, eyes wide mouth gently hung open and looked straight into his green eyes.

"Adrien? Do you think you can unzip me?" She asked in a sweetly voice and for a sight no one had ever seen before, the model's face turned beat red.

"U…unzip…your dress?" He hiccupped. She tilted her head.

"You know, so I can get out? I can't reach it." To prove her point she attempted to grab hold and couldn't. "Please Adrien? It's so uncomfortable."

She lifted her hair out of the way and couldn't help but smirk and blush a little herself.

 _WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM! I JUST WANT TO TRY AND EMBARRASS HIM A LITTLE NOT SEDUCE HIM!_

He stepped up behind her and slowly took hold of the zipper and pulled down. Marinette turned her head a little to see what kind of face he was making and stifled a giggle seeing him looking a clear different direction and turning into a cherry.

"Thank you." She said and slowly pulled the sleeves down. He immediately spun away from her.

"Wh…don't you want to go into the bathroom?!"

"That dress wouldn't fit through that door, plus I could easily ruin it in there, and I don't want your father or Natalie getting mad over that." She quickly found a bathrobe on the bed and threw it on. "Besides, haven't you seen a lot of girls…like this on set?"

There was a stiff silence between them before he answered.

"No…well…it's different now." He choked. Marinette dampened as she picked up a pink night bag meant for her.

"Oh. Okay, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable." She replied and rushed into the bathroom. Alone she leaned against the door with a heavy sigh before she stripped and turned the shower onto full blast.

 _Yeah…it's different._ She thought before looking up to herself in the mirror. _He's seen lingerie models on set. All beautiful and desirable…not like me…I'm plain Marinette to him…someone he HAD to marry. I really shouldn't fool myself._ She washed up in the shower, letting the hot water run over her stiff shoulders and scrubbed at her make-up to come off so her skin could breathe. The hotel even had very nice soap and shampoo, so she didn't even want to think how much staying the night was costing but pampered herself to feel clean.

Stepping out she dried off and put the robe back on before digging around to dry and comb her dark hair. After brushing her teeth and finding a pretty comfortable pajama set in the bag, she turned the light out and came out into the room to see Adrien sitting on one of the lounge chairs reading something before noticing her. All of the rose petals were gone and only a few candles remained.

 _I guess he was really uncomfortable with the romantic atmosphere._ She thought, closing the door before joining him on the opposite seat.

"Was your shower nice?" He asked hopefully. She nodded and motioned to the book in his lap.

"What's that?"

He looked down and smiled before holding up a small book with a black cover.

"Physics book, I…it was always my favorite class." She nodded with a smile.

"I remember that. Teacher really praised the ground you walked on."

"Hey that wasn't as fun as it sounds!" They chuckled and there was another awkward pause of silence.

"So ummm…do you drink?" The bizarre question had the young designer blinking.

"What?"

"Drink. Because well," He pointed to a bottle of champagne and two sitting flutes. "It would be a shame to waste it."

"Oh…well sure." She answered with a slight blush at his charming grin. He picked up the bottle and expertly popped the cork before filling up the two flutes with the beverage. Handing her one, he took his and sat right beside her.

"To our marriage." He suggested and held his drink up to hers. Swallowing a lump in her throat she clinked glasses with him.

"To our marriage." She repeated and then downed a good gulp. "May I ask you something Adrien?"

"Sure." He agreed. She bit her lip, she did have a few questions she was curious about, one would be about why he agreed to do this and marry her. She decided to wait on asking that one.

"Well…were you mad at me? About today I mean?" He choked on his drink and coughed a few minutes to clear his throat.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, I mean, you just seemed so mad until after I went to the restroom. Then after that you seemed to cool down. So, I was just wondering…was it something I did?"

"Oh Marinette, never think that! I wasn't mad at you! I was just…" He stopped a moment and turned into deep thought. "I was mad at my father. See he does this stuff. When it thinks it's something I want or needs to be done then he goes to a very far extreme to do it."

"He thought that you wanted to get married? Or that you needed to?" He chuckled and took another sip of his drink.

"Well yes and no. I…I didn't want to get married there was something else I wanted to do. And, he thought he was helping by doing this. But oddly enough I'm not mad at him for doing this to me. I mean, he disclosed to me about what was to happen today, and naturally I HAD to agree, but…that was before I saw he dragged you into this. It's just not fair Marinette. You didn't have to do this…especially if you didn't want to. And I got mad over that, but…" He reached over and took her hand to hold into his. "I don't want you to think that I was mad at you. I'm so sorry that I snapped at you like I did. I truly was a jerk for doing that. Please forgive me about that."

"Of course I would forgive you!" She smiled to him. "I just thought that you were mad at me because well…I thought you were mad you had to marry ME. Or that…that you thought I agreed to do this for money or something." He gave her an odd look as she waved her hands around in a presumably negative gesture. "But it wasn't like that! I would never do this for your money! I honestly wanted to help you! I…I didn't like seeing the magazines treating you so horribly. So…I'm sorry that it had to be me to help you."

Before she could even process it, he was hugging her closely.

"You amaze me Marinette. You truly do." He whispered. She sat stiffly in his arms, in shock from his embrace and lost out on parts of his mumbling, but somehow caught onto one small phrase. "I hope you won't hate me for this."

Clearing her throat, she moved a little away and stood up.

"Well I'm pretty tired…after today." She smiled weakly. He nodded and looked over to the large bed they were expected to share.

"You can take the bed." He motioned to the couch. "I can just sleep here."

"No! You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, you've had a busy day you take it."

"Well you had a busy day too."

"You had to get all Princessed up, NOT THAT YOU DON'T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE A PRINCESS, but ummm, yeah those make-up and hair artists are uncomfortable. So you take the bed." He stammered. Marinette blushed a little but knew he wasn't going to back down from this issue. Taking a generous amount of the pillows and a throw at the end of the bed she took it over and helped make up the couch for him.

"Goodnight." He bid as soon as she was in the bed and turned off the light. Marinette looked up to the ceiling and took a deep breath of thought, thinking over what just happened.

' _I hope you won't hate me for this'. What did he mean by that?_ She thought to herself as her eyes began to close. _He says it…like he suggested all of this to happen to us._ And she drifted to sleep.

 **So like I said, really short but I promise I want my next chapter to be long because I want a good chunk to their Honeymoon. So I really wanted to have Marinette wear a lingerie piece in this but I decided I wanted them to get a little closer before I put something together even cutter ;) trust me my idea is a good one. So I hope this satisfies y'all because guys I watched the Christmas special the other day and I was honestly disappointed. Just…ugh. Major let down. Please just don't let this be season 2! But if you guys have yet to watch, they added the…gross…English dub on Netflix. I know some people like it, and I honestly think the dub was fine, but those songs sounded so much worse in English. Anyways! Please give me a review! You would make me really happy!**

 **Also who is in the mood of a dark Chat Noir fic? It would be AU but I got something cooking!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh my gosh I wrote something that feels pretty long! I mean it's not as long as other peoples are, but this was my goal. I planned this chapter out in my bullet journal, and I think it went rather nicely. I mean I normally don't so I think I might do it again. It helped give me an outline for something I really wanted to write especially after this week. Like a lot of shit unloaded on me. In the span of one week: My dad predicted the end of the world, Trump became President (aww), and apparently the one guy I dated (remember the one I said was pretty obsessive?) got even more obsessive and threatening with me. Like he wanted to hurt me. I know you guy's probably don't want to hear it, but honestly this is the only place I can post all this shit. So again, if there is one thing I can pass to other girls, its trust your instinct about a guy. If it doesn't feel right, don't be alone with him. I know nothing really big happened to me, but I honestly believe it was an act of God that nothing happened. But enough of this, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Marinette lay stiffly in bed the moment she woke up. Her ears were trained to hear for any sort of movement coming from the couch. Any sign that Adrien was awake and up before she got out of bed. There was nothing. Very slowly, as to not make the sound of the bed creaking, she sat up in bed. She ran a hand through her short hair before slipping her feet to the floor. Standing up she walked around the bed, and leaned forward a little bit to peer over the couch. She swore under her breath for even bothering to look.

Never before had she seen Adrien so at peace with himself. His arm laid casually across his chest while another rested over his forehead. His chest was rising and falling in even breaths and even though he lay in the direct sunlight, he was perfectly and peacefully sound asleep.

 _I wish I had a camera!_ She wanted to squeak, she walked around to the other side of the couch and stood over him. _But that wouldn't be right. It would be creepy to take a picture of him while he's asleep. But he's so cute!_ She giggled softly and couldn't help but extend a hand to brush a few strands of the golden locks she only dreamed of intimately touching.

 _If only you could know what I feel about you. It just feels so wrong to say that I'm happy that for the next few months I can take the time to get to know you personally._ "If only."

"If only what?" She stilled immediately, and her bluebell eyes shrunk to the size of a pen as she met very confused green eyes. There was a still moment as his eyes went from hers to the hand still hovering over his forehead with his hair weaved between her fingers. "You stopped."

It sounded more like an invitation to keep running her hand through his hair, but Marinette could only process the embarrassment of being caught. She leapt up and tripped over her own feet and fell backwards to scramble away quickly.

"I…..I'm so sorry!" She apologized, waving her hands around. He laughed at her before standing up to extend a hand. Very shyly, she took the hand and stood up.

"And it's not a problem you know." He chuckled, running a hand through his own hair. "You can touch it if you want…it actually felt nice."

"Really?" She squeaked. He nodded and lifted a hand to her own hair to brush through it gently. She felt her face turn tomato as she even felt her head tilt toward his touch. He chuckled again.

"See? It feels good when somebody plays with your hair. Usually people just style it so it never felt tender. Hehe, sorry it probably felt dirty."

"No! It probably never does!" She giggled. He laughed too and turned away.

"Well you never had to deal with this hair after fencing or basketball." He chuckled. "But I think it's in my best interest to take a shower now."

He walked to the bathroom and closed the door to leave Marinette listening to the sound of the shower running. Her face erupted in another flush as she found herself falling against the couch with a short squeal she hoped he couldn't hear with the shower on.

* * *

The two stood at the train station looking at a map on the platform. That morning, the two ordered room service and sat wondering what they would be doing for their 'honeymoon' when Natalie appeared outside their room with a fresh change of clothes and an itinerary. Now, after a two and a half hour train ride, the newlyweds were on a train platform in Bretagne.

"Have you ever been to this cottage?" Marinette asked, nervously brushing a hand down the skirt of a light blue chiffon dress she wore.

"Nope." Adrien shrugged and took hold of their suitcases. Being the gentleman that he was, he insisted that he carry their bags. "I've only seen photos of it."

Tucking one bag under his arm he dug in his pocket for the slip of paper Natalie had given him with the directions.

"According to Natalie, there's a small rental car service in town." Glancing at his watch he smiled to the young designer. "There's still some time before the place should close. Do you want to grab something to eat first?"

Feeling the grumble in her stomach, she nodded as they walked along the streets of town. It wasn't the same as Paris, but it was a close knit town with everything within walking distance. Soon the two stumbled upon a small café. They ate with some mild chit chat before going to pick up a rental car. The drive was quiet as any sign of other people faded away the further they entered the country. After about an hour and a half drive, they finally came down a privet drive way.

"Here we are!" Adrien beamed as the car came to a stop. Marinette peaked an eye open as she couldn't help but doze with the lack of conversation and her jaw dropped open as she looked out to the landscape.

"This is an Agreste cottage?!" It certainly was smaller than the Agreste mansion, but it was by no means a tiny one room cottage.

"I think they need to call it more like the 'Agreste country house'." Adrien chuckled. The house was a beautiful rustic view. It was a moderately sized brick house in the middle of a gorgeous field of beautiful flowers and on the banks of a lake. It was completely enchanting and a nice solitude away from the town and any other neighbors.

Once the car was off, Marinette opened the door and couldn't help herself but to walk off the side of the road into the field of flowers. She tried watching her step as to not crumple any flowers as she neared closer to the gravely banks of the nearby lake. The green waters were enchanting to look in, much more relaxing to her then she ever felt near the beach.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Adrien asked as he approached alongside her, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I've never been to a lake before have you?"

"No." She whispered. "I went to the ocean once when I was little, but we hardly ever left Paris much."

"Well what do you think?" He asked. She turned her gaze away from the lake and beamed up to him.

"It's like a dream Adrien!" She giggled, dropping down and taking off her shoes. Gripping the edge of the dress she was wearing she waded knee deep into the water. Even though the water felt like icy it felt good to stand in a body of fresh water. "It's so beautiful to be out in the fresh air and to not hear all the constant cars and people." The wind blew through her hair at that moment as she turned back to look at the young Agreste.

He was frozen right by the shore, his eye focusing on her in disbelief as the wind blew through his own hair. She blushed herself and nervously rubbed her arms.

"Is…is it something I said?" He shook his head as if knocking himself out of a stupor.

"No. I mean…I guess…well, I never met a girl from Paris who would be so happy to stay out at a lake."

She giggled and waded back to the shore.

"I can't imagine what kind of girl wouldn't agree to stay out here for over a week!" She giggled to herself. "Well, all except Chloe." Immediately Marinette pulled on a face of disgust as she held her head back.

"Ugh! This natural wind is going to ruin my hair due! These flowers are blocking out my perfume with the scent of the earth! And don't even get me started on what this lake water could do to my pedicure!"

The two burst out into such strong laughter. As she stumbled onto the shore, falling to the ground and giggling even harder.

"I honestly don't know how you could date her." She froze and immediately covered her mouth. "I am so sorry!"

"It's okay." He said and lowered himself down to the ground beside her. "To be honest I asked myself the same thing. She was my only friend before high school…I should have made sure it stayed that way."

"I'm sorry it had to end in such an ugly way." She said with deep sincerity. He met her eyes and smiled softly to her in reassurance with a small shrug.

"It couldn't be helped the way that it ended." He stood back up and offered a hand to her. Marinette blushed lightly but took the offer as he helped her up gracefully.

"Well, I don't know about you but I think some dinner sounds nice." Marinette smiled and brushed off the skirt of her dress as she headed back towards the car. Opening the trunk, Adrien took the suitcases in with Marinette leading the way to the door.

"The key should have been left under the mat." Marinette looked down and lifted the doormat to find a copper key waiting for her. Picking it up she inserted it into the keyhole and pushed open the door. The inside was just as charming as the outside. The door lead right into the living room which was streaming with sunlight due to the open sunroom that was made of complete windows that looked out to the lake. It was simple, with a beige love seat and two reading chairs right beside each other in front of a fire place. A small television sat in the corner, though was a little dated and a small coffee table sat in the center with a few games set atop, but only chess and a pack of cards.

"Whoever decorated this had nice taste." She beamed and ran a hand along the smooth leather of the sofa her hand lightly dipping into the plush feeling.

"Thanks, mom did it. It was surprise for my father for their anniversary."

She smiled to him before she walked further into the house. The sunroom served as a dining room, but had a few pieces of wicker furniture in the corner facing towards the lake. A small table for two sat on the other side of the room as it led out from a small kitchen.

"It's absolutely adorable." She gushed.

"The bedroom's back this way." Adrien called from the hall. She froze.

"Bedroom?" _As in singular…again._

"Yeah." She followed him down the hall, passing picture frames of scenic views before they stopped at one doorway at the end of the hall. Opening the door, a large master bedroom met their gaze. This one had a nice view of the field of flowers surrounding the house and was painted a soothing green that reminded Marinette of Adrien's eyes. The bed was a plain black and white and looked so inviting after a day of traveling. But of course, it was one rather large king bed.

"I'm just going to leave this here." Adrien said, setting a suitcase for her down at the end of the bed. "But what do you think? It's got to be a nice place to stay for a mandatory vacation."

They laughed, as Marinette walked over to the window.

"I'm surprised you've never come here before. It's so beautiful."

"Well…after…" He cleared his throat. "After Mom died…"

"Oh no! Adrien I'm so sorry! Don't feel the need to explain to me! Really."

"No…I want you to know." He met her gaze firmly. "Mom always wanted to bring me out here after she renovated it so it could hold more people. It's only one bedroom, because the idea was for my parents to get out of the big house they had. I think Mom missed the feeling of a close quartered house. But after she died…Dad never wanted to come out here. He still had it maintained…but he never rented it out to anyone. He even had this room redone."

He brushed a hand along the comforter.

"That's…so sad." Marinette muttered, hugging herself. "He must be so hurt."

"Yeah…he is."

Walking over, Marinette took hold of Adrien's hand. He looked up to her with a wide alert and gazed at her intently.

"Let's play a game or something. I saw an old game system in the other room."

His eyes let up and he nodded.

"Yeah, Mom used to be a gamer. That's where I got into it." She nodded and dragged him out to the living room. The two sat in front of the television and looked at the few cases of games that were had there.

"Your mom had some really good tastes!" She gushed. "She had Mega brawl 2!"

"Oh man it's been forever since I've played that one!" Adrien awed. "I used to be the champ."

"Please, I'm the champ of this game." Marinette bragged, giving him a challenging look. "I'm undefeated in this game."

His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to her.

"Oh? Is that so? It looks like I have to take you on _Mari_." Her name rolled off his tongue and Marinette had to fight the blush as she pushed him away with a finger to his nose.

"Looks like it's a match of champions then." She replied smoothly and held a remote up to him. "Looser has to cook dinner tomorrow night."

"You are so on." He grinned. "And just so you know, I like quiche."

"Don't let your ego go to your head, you have to beat me first."

Three hours flew by of one loosing and instantly requesting a rematch and led on for some time until the end turned out to be Marinette: 10 and Adrien: 9.

"Come on! Best out of thirteen!" The model whined as the designer hummed to herself smugly, as she got up off the floor.

"Nope. Now I'm tired, so I think I'm going to take a shower." She smirked to herself as she heard him grumble under her breath. This seemed befitting after their ride on the train. She opened one of the doors in the bedroom that led to a nice bathroom. After running the shower for the water to heat up, she walked back into the bedroom and just picked up her bag before hopping into the shower.

Meanwhile, the model was in the other room, grumbling to himself over his defeat as he turned off the system and the television. Wandering into the bedroom, he opened his own suitcase and casting a glance to the shower door, he quickly pulled on a plain white t-shirt and forest green pajama bottoms. With the water turned off, he grabbed his physics book, which he packed into his bag, and returned to the living room to sit and read. A few minutes later, his concentration was interrupted by a small screech.

"Oh my god!" Marinette screeched from inside the bathroom. He immediately approached the door and rapped lightly, leaning close to hear the girl on the inside.

"Marinette? Hey! You okay in there?"

There were a few more crashes and clatters before the door was held open ajar.

"Hey Adrien…you wouldn't happen to know where our clothes came from would you?"

"I assumed Natalie would have had Alya select some things from your apartment. Why?"

"Well…umm….I don't think she packed things that are appropriate to sleep in."

"What do you mean?"

She let out a small whine before the door slowly creaked open and Adrien felt the small popping of his eyelids opening further. Marinette rubbed her arms embarrassingly as the pink frilly baby doll piece didn't cover much. The color fit her skin and personality rightly and left so much smooth and beautiful skin open for the young model's eyes to shamefully ogle.

"It just…I don't think it would make either of us comfortable if I slept in this."

He gulped before finally snapping out of his shock as he adverted his eyes.

"Well…umm…if…" He cleared his throat. "Is there something else? You…you could wear? I mean, I want you to be perfectly comfortable."

"That's the…the thing…I only have dresses. So ummm…I was thinking…since it's late…"

"Yes？"He hiccupped all too quickly.

"If I could borrow one of your shirts instead." She looked up shyly with a red tinge and noticed how the young model looked like his face was going to melt off with his deep red tinge.

"M….my…..my…..shirt?!"

"Yes…if you don't mind." Trying to not stumble, Adrien went to his own suitcase and found a black dress shirt near the bottom of neatly packed clothes.

"I…is this okay?"

She nodded and took the shirt before taking it back with her. After a few moments, the door opened again and she walked out of the bathroom with her suitcase in his shirt. While the pink was complementary to her innocent persona, the black shirt was a strong contrast to her beautiful pale skin. It served as a highlight to her own dark locks that she tried to hold behind her ear.

"I…I'm so sorry about this." She stammered, awkwardly looking up to him. The look she saw on Adrien was one she's only seen once before which was in fact the other day at the wedding. His green eyes were alit with some sort of emotion she couldn't place, and she couldn't tell if it was her imagination seeing a muscle around his mouth twitch. As if he secretly wanted to smile or say something.

"What?!" He seemed to come out of his own daze and immediately processed what she said. "Oh no! Don't be! It's not your fault Marinette! It's okay!"

He stood up and ran a hand through his own hair.

"So ummm….you should take the bed for the night! I'll go sleep on the couch in the living room."

He made a movement to head to the door all too quickly and Marinette felt her body impulsively leap to stop him.

"Wait!" She caught hold of his shirt tail causing the young blonde to look at her curiously.

"Is something wrong?" He blinked. She shook her head and released his shirt.

"No…but ummm…" she pondered on what to say and ended up looking to her feet again. "You don't have to sleep on the couch you know. If you sleep there the whole time…then you're probably not going to sleep well."

She looked u immediately red in the face, waving her hands around frantically. "And I don't mean that as a ploy to get you to sleep with me! It's just that the bed is so big there's plenty of room for both of us! We probably won't even touch! So…so…it's okay…for you to sleep here."

She turned around to hide her hands cupping over her mouth. _OH MY GOD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! FIRST I ASK TO SLEEP IN HIS SHIRT AND THEN I INVITE HIM TO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AS ME?! HE'S PROBABLY SO DISGUSTED! HE PROBABLY HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY! AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HE'S GOING TO TAKE HIS HIDDEN SPEEDBOAT TO THE NEAREST TOWN TO GET A VERY HORRIBLE BED BECAUSE I'M HERE!_

"Thank you Marinette." His voice struck her out of her daydream again as she glanced over and he was already on one side of the very large bed and under the covers. He was beaming at her as he snuggled deeper, as if it was his regular bed. "As long as you're comfortable."

"What-OH! Yes! Of Course! I have no problem about it what so ever!" She chuckled and pointed to the bathroom. "I'm just gonna….." And she dashed in before she could say something even more embarrassing. She tried to hold a scream past her lips, but found it so hard to not even release a small squeak.

"Oh my god. I can't believe I'm sharing a sleeping space with Adrien Agreste!" she whispered to herself, fanning her blushed face. "There is no way I'm this lucky!" Taking a few deep breaths and splashing her face with some ice cold water, she came back out into the even dimmer room. Turning off the bathroom light only created the small illumination of the room coming from a bedside lamp next to Adrien.

"You ready for lights out?" He asked, smiling gently. She tried to reign the heat in her cheeks but nodded as she gripped the hem of the shirt tightly on her walk to the other side of the bed.

"You sure you aren't comfortable with this?" He asked, rolling to his side to watch her open the covers and lie in.

"I….I'm really not." She whispered quietly, holding the blanket close to her nose. "I mean it's not like we're…cuddling or anything."

"Of course." He cleared his throat and turned back around to turn off the light. Casting the room into deep darkness aside from the small glow of the stars from the window. The bed creaked again as he rolled over again. Even in the dark, she could still make out his emerald eyes looking over her.

"I…is there something wrong Adrien? I can turn the other way if you want."

"No…no it's fine. Just…I've never shared a bed with anyone before."

"Not even Chloe?"

"No." He chuckled. "I…well…I never really invited her to stay over. And I would always make up some excuse if she suggested anything."

"What about Nino? Surely you had a sleepover with him once."

"Nope."

"So last night…was the first?"

"Well…I guess…but at sleepovers don't you usually share a bed?"

"Not all the time. At times you can sleep on couches or you use sleeping bags." She giggled at the conversation topic. "Or yes, you can share a bed."

"So it's like we're having a sleepover."

"I guess…" _But I bet everyone thinks it's a different kind of sleepover._ She blushed just thinking about what people were thinking they were doing now at this moment. "Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you worried about what people are thinking about you and I doing right now?"

There was a small silence before she heard the sheets ruffle and the bed shift as weight moved closer to her. The sudden touch of one of his hands on her shoulder's made her still immediately.

"Do you want to know a secret Marinette?"

She gulped down a heavy lump in her throat at how his breath brushed her bangs. She nodded and looked up to his eyes that seemed to glow even brighter.

"In my experience of being a model, after a while you begin to not care what most people think of you. But what the people that matter most to you think of you. I don't care how people think of 'me' with you. Because I know it doesn't matter."

"Why is that?" She whispered and his hand moved and a finger lightly tapped her on the nose.

"Because you're one of my closet friends." He rolled over on his side once again with his back towards her. "And it wouldn't be a sleepover without some secrets. Good night Marinette."

She was left in a stupor of confusion before she got comfortable herself and looked up to stare at the ceiling.

"Good night Adrien."

 **Screams at self! Oh gosh I'm so happy to have written something! So I hope you liked it, because now tomorrow I'm going to sleep the whole day and hope I can read all of your reviews! I love you guys so much. (Makes heart shape) Leave me a review and tell me what's going on in your lives!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all! I know its been some time since I last updated anything, especially with it being summer. But I was caught up with work and just enjoying myself and just doing whatever I felt like, so forcing myself to write seemed like it wasn't a good idea and that I should take the time to just do my own thing. So I'm so sorry and I hope you at least enjoy this chapter. I hope you all like it, I do feel bad for everyone who was so kind to make sure I was okay, this is for you guys.**

The cottage was a great contrast from waking up in Paris. Marinette took in a deep breath as her eyes fluttered open to look around the naturally lit room. Even from the house, she could hear the lapping of the water and the sound of birds within nature. The sleep drifted from her bluebell eyes as she took in the bedroom. Sitting up, she glanced beside her to notice that the space beside her was empty, with no sign of her bedmate. A deep crimson crawled up her neck as she suppressed a screech.

 _Of course he would leave as soon as he could._ She sighed and pulled the covers off of her in order to do her business in the bathroom, then thinking it would be humiliating to walk around the cottage in Adrien's shirt, she dug around in her packed luggage. While last night she ravaged through the layers of clothes in hopes to find something more comfortable to sleep in, she was able to look at the labels to notice some of the latest pieces of Gabriel's latest line. Featuring sundresses, lingerie, and undergarments that she could only have ever daydreamed being able to afford. Despite working for the man, the discount of being an employee was close to nothing.

She grinned as she pulled out a beautiful lilac halter strap dress and a pair of gold sandals at the bottom. While she was fixing her hair in a loose bun, there was a loud clatter outside the room. She peaked her head out the door to look down the hall, when again there was the loud clanging of dishes. That's when she walked out to find the kitchen as a wreck worse than what it was last night, yet somehow in a mess of dishes and food, a blonde model still looked perfectly ready for a photo. In a stained shirt and hair mussy from sleep.

"What's all this?" She asked, picking up a dirtied bowl from the table. The inside was covered in batter, and from what Marinette could tell, as the daughter of bakers, it was very dry. Adrien looked up and Marinette noticed the smudge of white powder on his cheek and around his shirt. Marinette's heart thudded at how adorable he was.

"Well…" He licked his lips and Marinette felt ready to swoon. "I thought, since you won last night, that I surprise you with breakfast in bed. But, when I came in, to find my usual breakfast meal prep, I instead found heaven."

"Heaven?" She giggled as he turned to lift up a large box of pancake mix.

"God bless. Before we came here, Natalie probably called for a housekeeper to clean and to stock. And, she didn't specify the diet." He lifted a spoon of a batter that was too runny and sighed softly as it dribbled back into the bowl. "This is going to be the best vacation, I've ever had."

Marinette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips at his tone. "Well then, you might want to consider using the proper ratio of mix and water."

He chuckled and put the bowl down to run a hand through his dirty hair.

"I've…never really had the skill for it." Marinette immediately laughed.

"You've never cooked before? How were you going to cook dinner for me then?"

"I've never cooked sugary or starchy things before." He smiled and turned beet red from embarrassment. "I honestly would have ended up making you a spinach salad with sliced almonds."

"Is that all you get to eat?" She smiled softly and then began looking through a cabinet and pulled out a bag of flour. "I'm going to make you some proper pancakes not that premade trash."

He grinned sheepishly and took a towel to clean his hands. "So what can I do to help?"

She grinned and handed him a bowl he dirtied. "Start cleaning."

Within forty-five minutes the kitchen was tidied up once again and steaming hotcakes were centered on the table with fresh coffee, orange juice, and accompanied with fruit.

"And this is how a Dupain-Cheng does breakfast." She smiled and sat down across the table from her husband. Adrien smiled and leaned forward with an intense look.

"But you aren't a Dupain-Cheng anymore are you?" Marinette lost her breath at his husky tone. Was he flirting with her?

"No…"She tried to suppress her blush and then felt herself sadden. "I suppose not. So how does an Agreste do breakfast?"

His smile abandoned his face as he leaned back in his chair.

"Usually alone." She swallowed at the shift in his tone as his eyes flickered up to her. His mouth twitched in a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Meals weren't that lively. Or messy."

She laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, people who have never cooked before should be allowed in the kitchen unsupervised."

"What?" He grinned back in faux insult. "Are you saying you don't appreciate the gesture I made for you…m'lady?" Marinette choked on her orange juice.

"Oh don't say that." He grinned wider and leaned forward against the already small table.

"What? You are my lady now?" He asked rather innocently. "Aren't you?"

Her wide eyes couldn't blink away from his heated look as he only smiled charmingly and took his own plate away back to the sink.

"Well then, I suppose it wouldn't be chivalrous of a knight to let his lady cook and clean is it? I'll handle these then." He already washed his own plate and then turned to receive hers which he washed quickly and already placed to dry. "What do you say for a shopping trip?"

* * *

"Well it's not Paris, but…" Marinette was giddy with excitement at the flea market.

"It's perfect! I've always wanted to come to one of these and not have to worry about fighting an old woman off."

"Has that actually happened before?" He grinned.

"You don't get it, to save money and find something decent, people get physically violent."

"Well, it seems my lady must have great fighting skills to fend them off." He winked. She blushed in return and instead began riffling through boxes of clothes. To her great relief, finding a t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts was no problem, and in fact her favorite find. The shirt was plain black with a sleeping kitten that was paired with a pair of light pink shorts, and were much better than any lingerie or shirt of Adrien's.

Already the two ventured around several booths of clothing up from gently used booths, with Marinette finding several treasures and Adrien being a 'charming knight' by carrying and not allowing her to pay for an item.

"Won't your father be upset about this?" Marinette asked as Adrien casually passed off cash in a large sum.

"Why? We've spent more on cheese before." He chuckled. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the bag he already snatched away from her.

"I meant of us buying clothes that weren't his design. I've never seen you in anything other than from your father's line."

"Well my father can't control everything can he?" He winked. "Besides, I doubt paparazzi or anyone out here will care."

She smiled and as the two neared the end of the strip, she spotted an antique booth.

"Shall we?" Adrien asked nodding to it. "I think I spot some Mandarin, I would love to practice."

So the two approached, and while Adrien riffled through a few of the foreign texts, she ventured toward the jars and other pieces of antiques. She ran a hand over a jade flower paperweight.

"So pretty." She murmured. When the light caught the glow of something in the corner. Her curiosity rising, Marinette spotted a black octagon box in the center of the back table. Something red shimmered from the light leaking into the tent, and as Marinette approached she saw two small earrings with five black spots. Seeming to glow in her eyes.

"Ah yes." A voice murmured behind her. Marinette jumped when she turned to see a short Chinese man smiling to her. "I often find this set breath taking as well."

"Set?" Marinette asked and looked back to the box, where she didn't notice a black ring on the opposite side of the earrings. Both forming a yin and yang of red and black.

"They've been in my family for some time." The man continued and picked up the box. "I've never seemed to find the right seller for them."

"Is that so? Do they mean anything?"

"They are two different ends of a spectrum. Much more than what most people think of yin and yang. This is the symbol of true compatibility, willing to understand each other and respect one another and more importantly to work with each other. These are the symbols of love."

"Love?" Adrien spoke up and leaned over to view the set.

"Yes, yin and yang is about control and balance, this is about equality in working together and the strength it takes to make a partnership work, a perfect pair you might say."

"Really?" The young model asked. "Interesting."

The old man smiled at them both and then snapped the lid shut before extending it to Marinette.

"I believe, they could benefit you both."

"Oh no! I couldn't!"

"Please, I insist, I have a feeling they will bring a connection to your relationship." His knowing eyes glanced towards Adrien and her.

"How much sir?" Adrien asked, but the man held up a hand.

"Please, knowing that they are entrusted to someone else, is enough. I know you will treasure them dearly, and represent what they stand for."

Marinette took the box and bowed her head in thanks.

"Thank you." She spoke with the little Mandarin she knew and bowed, which Adrien did as well. He nodded his head in return and turned back to tending his booth, watching the couple pause and place the accessories on themselves. "A perfect pair indeed."

 **So yes, I didn't really know how to put the explanation of the partnership to truth but I figured this was good enough to start, I wanted to kind of display a pair that would always work together rather than maintain one another as a real relationship should do. And no, they are not going to get kwamis. This is an AU I just like to leave small winks to the original source. Again, sorry for the long delay on everything!**


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for being MIA for soooooo long. Believe me, it has been effecting me too. Ummmm I wish I had a good reason, but honestly there reaches a point in college and life where you sadly don't have as much time for fanfiction as you wish you did. Over the summer I had this reverse cycle job where I woke up at like 3 a.m. worked came home slept and then basically did some house work to go back to sleep again and do it all again the next day. That and I also wanted the summer to just kind of breathe and not have any pressure. And then I couldn't log onto my laptop until I got back to school so that too. And honestly from August to now I have been so busy. I had no time and honestly doing stuff like writing exhausted me. Doing something I love exhausted me! That isn't right! And then a lot of stuff happened and honestly this weekend some stuff happened that opened my eyes to how I need to do what I love. And no it is not the new 3 episodes. I am actually trying to avoid it because I want to binge it with my best friend. (we are going to see how that goes because Pinterest is already spoiling it for me. Like I can't avoid Pinterest for more than 3 days! How am I gonna last a few weeks?!) But some classmates of mine died, and today we were talking about it, and I never want to leave my stuff unfinished. I want to get back into doing what I love and having gratitude for something this simple. And considering how unexpected life is going, this is probably the one thing I can control…somewhat. So here are some major points I'm making in this note**

 **I will be back to writing in about 2 weeks! I just have this one big research paper I've been working on and once that is in I should be freed up a little more and I will definitely be dedicating that time to writing a little bit more**

 **I will have 3 months off this winter where I will be writing as much as I can because there is going to be another possible hiatus for a while next spring because**

 **I'M GOING TO CHINA! Yeah my life has been derailed because basically my school is deciding to send me to China. I have mixed feelings but I'm mostly excited for this, and because I'm going there I don't know how writing will work. Ideally I'll be able to write and post as I have usually done in the past. Unideally it is China and I might not even get to post anything for some time. So I could just post when I get back.**

 **So please be patient with me a little while longer for these stories. I'm not abandoning they will be finished in due time, just please respect the space and time I need to get my life together because fanfiction stories are pretty low on my priority list at the moment. Thank you to those who have checked in with me a lot I'm talking to you ghostgirl19 I love you so much! I need to catch up on your stories. Like I haven't even read anything in so long that's how busy I am. But here are some keep details about future updates to come**

 **Please, please, please, do not leak to me any spoilers. In the words of Hawkdaddy, "No Spoilers" I want to save my reactions as best I can. So going forward I will have no input from the season 2 canon**

 **I plan to update for Kwami King and 3 months within the next two weeks. As a heads up.**

 **Ok, I love you all so much I hope everyone is doing well in their lives as well. I appreciate your patience so much and I will update with actual material soon! Love and hugs!**

 **-Rikki**


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